December 19, 1993 | Robert Scheer, Robert Scheer is a contributing editor to the Times

Are women a class with broad common interests? Do a welfare mother in Watts and a female executive in Beverly Hills share a common oppression that can be addressed by the women's movement? The unexamined assumption of both of these books is that they do. On the level of civil rights, both books are obviously correct: It is not difficult to postulate a common stake in equal protection of the law and freedom of opportunity.

At one of the many gatherings that marked the recent state Democratic convention, the party's future could be glimpsed. As Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom spoke to a group of activists, his eyes briefly darted to a commotion at the back of the room. Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris was trying to leave after her own speech but had been mobbed by admirers begging for autographs and pictures. Moments later, Newsom was surrounded by his own crush as he tried to exit. Democrats have swept the statewide offices in recent elections, but their success has masked a looming problem: The party's top officeholders — Gov. Jerry Brown and U.S. Sens.

It is midweek in mid-October and the Republican-controlled Congress has just launched its latest, and for them most dangerous, assault on the liberal welfare state, this time targeting Medicare and Medicaid. Barbara Boxer smears a glob of cream cheese on a bagel, picks up her freshly brewed cup of coffee and settles into one end of a couch in her warm-hued office. A dozen reporters gather around, but their questions must wait.

Sen. Barbara Boxer should be awarded the coveted Poster Girl award for financial acumen in the complex arena of pension planning ["Sponsors Fight 401(k) Plan Limits," Feb. 18]. Isn't this the same Barbara Boxer who avoided culpability and accountability in the famous House [check-kiting] scandal by claiming she didn't (or couldn't) balance her own checkbook? Ralph McCall Costa Mesa

Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) will lead the Senate Ethics Committee during Sen. Tim Johnson's recovery from brain surgery. Johnson (D-S.D.) has been hospitalized in critical condition since Dec. 13, when he suffered a brain hemorrhage. His doctor said his recovery was expected to take several months.

Anthony Rodham, brother of Hillary Rodham Clinton, and Nicole Boxer, daughter of Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), are engaged, the senator's office said Thursday. They plan to be married next spring but no details were announced. Nicole Boxer, 25, is a writer and film producer in Washington.

Declaring that "he has lost his perspective," Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) on Monday urged independent counsel Kenneth W. Starr to resign. "He is so determined to get this president that he is no longer an independent counsel," Boxer said at a news conference in San Francisco. "If he has a conscience, he should [resign] in a minute."